Speaking after the NATO summit in The Hague, Rute said the allies had made a "historic decision" to raise defense spending to five percent of gross domestic product (GDP), with "significant progress" made during the year.
“For the first time, all allies have met the target agreed in 2014 to invest at least two percent of their GDP in defense,” Rutte said.
He added that continuing this trend is one of the key priorities in the coming years.
"For too long, European allies and Canada have been too reliant on American military power. We have not taken enough responsibility for our own security," Rute said.
He pointed out that there is now a “real shift in mindset” and a collective recognition that the security environment has changed.
"As a European, I am proud of what we are doing," he said.
However, he warned that higher allocations alone are not enough, as NATO still has serious problems when it comes to the speed of production and innovation in the defense industry.
"The defense industrial base is simply not producing enough right now, and we are not fast enough in applying innovations. We are making progress, but we need to do more," he said.
Rutte also stressed that, despite the attention of part of the world currently focused on the Middle East, deliveries of key military equipment to Ukraine have not been stopped.
According to him, the delivery of equipment procured through NATO's list of priority needs for Ukraine is also continuing.
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